Event Management

Crack In-Event Engagement On LinkedIn Like A Pro: ‘The Meetings Show’ Case Study

Eventually Learning Team

03 October 2022

Read time 6 minutes 15 seconds

Effective communication during an event is the key to cracking successful in-event engagements. There are about three major types of in-event engagements:

In-event engagement with content: This means giving attendees the right content sessions, product showcases & exhibits and other activities to maximize their learning and boost the value of their attendance.
In-event engagement through networking: By creating personalized networking opportunities — whether face-to-face or virtual, one-on-one or in groups — planners can encourage and facilitate strong business networks within the event and create a more valuable partnership-building experience for the attendees.
In-event engagement with exhibitors and sponsors: It is not just you that the attendees will be engaging with, they are also having a one on one conversation with the exhibitors and the sponsors.

There are a multitude of ways to create in-event engagement that leverages event tech and engages the attendees via event applications, holograms and 3D projections. But these event tech tools are highly expensive!

So what must an event organizer do if they want to indulge in cost-cutting and have an additional point of contact with the attendees present, before and during the event?

They can leverage LINKEDIN as a platform to connect with the attendees in real-time! (as well as spread their event message to the potential attendees)

Here’s how a B2B major event, a popular tradeshow – The Meetings Show did it.

THE MEETINGS SHOW created a unique in-event engagement program for LinkedIn that the attendees, prospects and all the industry-based professionals enjoyed. Why so?
The event marketers followed and documented the entire journey of the live event on the social platform engaging attendees real-time. Here is how.

Meeting The Speakers Ahead of Their Sessions

The event marketers creatively designed this section of THE MEETINGS SHOW campaign as they showcased their speakers and event professionals, experts and influencers via short interviews. This delivered immense value and gave the attendees a perspective upon who they are going to #meetattheshow!

The posts and content was curated both around attendees and influencers alike giving a very unbiased approach to the event. THE MEETINGS SHOW even introduced keynote speakers in a special customized post.

Catering, Facilities and Much More!

THE MEETINGS SHOW event’s LinkedIn page showcased an array of different catering and food options leading the attendees towards the refreshments and other facilities present at the venue of the tradeshow, live!

It is not just the food and catering that was highlighted on the event’s LinkedIn channel. The amazing backdrops and creation of the event stages and venue were specially sent out so that the attendees could share them with colleagues and peers online too and prospects felt the FOMO, this has inspired them to sign-up for the next THE MEETINGS SHOW tradeshow!

LinkedIn Becomes A Wayfinding Device

The LinkedIn posts indicated where the stalls were set up and these acted as maps and wayfinding avenues for the attendees present at the venue. This is an excellent use case for social media in-event engagement.

Break Rooms and Conversations

The attendees were directed towards the breakrooms to kick-start networking and conversations, with creative posts like the one below. For example, the below post highlights how EventWell, one of the exhibitors and sponsors at the event provided a breakout room for the attendees to converse or just take a break away from the buzz to calm themselves down!

This shows how the attendees were constantly in touch with the updates on the LinkedIn platform right when they were present within the event!

Promotion of Sponsors

The Meetings Show put an excellent foot forward by promoting their sponsors on the LinkedIn social page so that the attendees were aware about the Event Investors and Partners, even before they arrived at the location. This was executed through exemplary video posts and unique designs on the LinkedIn channel.

Conclusion

The series of posts scheduled as well as posted real-time on LinkedIn, skyrocketed the engagement and helped the attendees stay in touch with the real essence while being at the core of THE MEETINGS SHOW event even amidst all the chaos and crowd. The wayfinding tricks and networking maps as well as ‘know your speaker’ posts were distinct and creatively designed to keep the attendees constantly in the loop. It is brilliant, indeed!

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the ways in which event organizers can engage with the attendees?

Here are a few steps in which event organizers can engage with the attendees during the event:

Event Apps: They can get in touch with the event attendees through event applications with the help of gamification, live polling and more.
LinkedIn: Event organizers can get in touch with the attendees through LinkedIn and other social media platforms like Twitter.
Engagement Booths: Just like exhibitor booths, there are engagement booths that are set up to help the attendees or give them a break from the monotony of the event. You can also install interactive features like a photo booth.

Why is event engagement important for event organizers?

Event engagement is an important component of every stage of the planning process. It could mean the difference between a popular sell out event and a no-show flop. Attendance, audience retention, and future event success are all influenced by levels of event engagement. Live polling at the SXSW event, is a very good example of in-event engagement in the live and in-person events category.

What is the Golden Rule of event engagement?

The Golden Rule of event engagement is: Ramp up the in-person experience. Schedule special meal-time activities or sessions. Offer live networking events. Allow sponsors to plan receptions or happy hours. Provide live entertainment (which you can also live stream for virtual attendees)!